Vankaya Kothimeera Kura and Tamatar Pappu - Simple Andhra Meals Recipe

We are starting with the second week of Blogging Marathon #42 and for this week I chose the South Indian Meal Dishes.
Today's state is Andhra and I am sharing you a simple dhal with tomato and brinjal/eggplant curry with  flavorful coriander paste.
The brinjal/eggplant curry can be served as an accompaniment or can be mixed along with the white rice.The recipe I noted from one of my close friend.As I always try new eggplant recipes,this one caught my attention and tried it.It came out so delicious and enjoyed it a lot,lets move on to the recipe........................

                                             
                                   Tomato Dhal/Tamatar Pappu

Basic Information

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes
Serves 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/2 cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	3(large size)
Garlic/poondu(chopped)	3 fat cloves
Green chilly/pachamilagai	4-5(slit)
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Tamarind/puli(optional)	small gooseberry size
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Salt	1 1/4tsp
Oil	2 tsp
Ghee/nei	1 tsp

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Urad dhal/uluthamparppu	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Dried red chilly/varamilagai	2(broken)

Method

• Pressure cook the dhal for 3-4 whistles in a medium flame.Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water and extract it.

• To the cooked dhal add the onion,tomato,green chilly and salt.Pressure cook it for another 2 whistles.

• Once the pressure subsides give it a mix and add the tamarind water.Let it boil for 2 minutes.

• Meanwhile in a pan heat the oil and ghee,do the tempering with the given ingredients and add the chopped garlic,curry leaves.Fry it till golden and add it to the dhal mixture.Cook it for a minute and put off the flame.

Serve it with rice.

                                                
                          Vankaya Kothimeera Kura

Basic Information

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes
Serves 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Small round eggplant/kathirikkai	6-8
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1 cup(loosely packed)
Green chilly/pachamilagai	2
Tamarind/puli	1/2 inch piece
Ginger/inji	1/2 inch piece
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Salt	1 1/4tsp
Oil	1 tbs
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Urad dhal/uluthamparppu	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Dried red chilly/varamilagai	2(broken)

Method

• Cut the eggplants to half,then slice each half to 4-5 pieces and put it in water to prevent browning.Grind the coriander leaves,green chilly,ginger,tamarind to a bit coarse paste,keep it aside.

• Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering with the ingredients and add the sliced eggplants.Saute it till it changes the color.

• Now add add the turmeric powder,salt to it and saute it for a while,now add the coriander paste and mix it well.Sprinkle little water if needed,cook it covered in a medium flame till the eggplants get tender and soft but not mushy.

• Add in the grated coconut and sprinkle the coriander powder and keep it in the flame for a minute and put off the flame.

Vankaya Kothimeera Kura is ready.

Serve it as an accompaniment or mix it with white rice.

Enjoy..............................................

Check out the blogging marathon page for my fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #42 here.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Dhal Methi

After a rich and delicious mutton biriyani,today I am sharing you a simple and flavorful dhal recipe.I try to include greens in our diet at least weekly once.Methi aka fenugreek leaves I buy every other week and make either sambar or methi paratha.Recently I started making Karakulambhu aslo using this leaves.Here I used the pressure cooker to make thedhal in a jiffy.My mom adds a little tamarind water also for this dhal to make it slightly tangy taste.Now off to the recipe....................................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Serves 2(generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Fenugreek leaves/vendhayakeerai	1 cup
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/2 cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	1(large size)
Garlic/poondu(chopped)	3 fat cloves
Green chilly/pachamilagai	4-5(slit)
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Tamarind/puli(optional)	small gooseberry size
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Salt	1 1/4tsp
Oil	2 tsp
Ghee/nei	1 tsp

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Urad dhal/uluthamparppu	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Dried red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)

Method

• Pressure cook the dhal for 3-4 whistles in a medium flame.Clean the methi leaves in water for 2-3 times to remove the soil particles.Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water and extract it.

• To the cooked dhal add the methi leaves,onion,tomato,green chilly and salt.Pressure cook it for another 2 whistles.

• Once the pressure subsides give it a mix and add the tamarind water.Let it boil for 2 minutes.

• Meanwhile in a pan heat the oil and ghee,do the tempering with the given ingredients and add the chopped garlic,curry leaves.Fry it till golden and add it to the dhal mixture.Cook it for a minute and put off the flame.

• Dhal Methi is ready.

Serve it with steamed rice and pappad or some veggie fry.

Enjoy.........................................................

• Addition of tamarind water is purely optional but it reduces the bitterness from the fenugreek leaves.
• Do not chop the fenugreek leaves otherwise it may be bitter.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Mutton Biriyani - Pressure Cooker Method

Today's recipe is mutton biriyani using pressure cooker,though I make this recipe only for guest,never get a chance to click and post in my blog.Finally I made this one for our weekend lunch with the mutton which left after cooking for a get together.But I couldn't take nice picture as the day was so sunny and bright,will update the picture soon.The list of the ingredients will be more but the method is so simple I used seeraga samba rice to get a nice flavor and taste,it can be made with basmathi rice also.
Here I have shared the pictures of biriyani made with both basmathi rice and seeraga samba.The color of the basmathi rice biriyani is on the darker side since the red chilly powder was bit dark. Off to the recipe......................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 50-60 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Mutton(with bones)	1.5 lbs
Seeraga samba rice/basmathi	2 cups
Onion(finely sliced)	4 (medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	2 (medium size)
Ginger &Garlic paste	2 tbs
Green chilly/pachamilagai	4 -5(slit)
Yogurt/thayir/curd	1/4 cup
Mint leaves/pudina(chopped)	1/4 cup
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig(optional)
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	3 tbs(chopped)
Lemon juice	2 tsp
Salt	21/2 tsp
Oil	3-4 tbs
Ghee/nei	1 tbs

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	4-5
Cinnamon/pattai	2 inch
Bay leaf	2
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Cardamom/ellaki	2
Star anise	1
Blackstone flower/kalpasi	2 petals

Method

Clean and cut the mutton pieces,soak the rice for 30 minutes.Heat a pressure cooker with oil and half the amount of ghee.Add the whole spices and do the tempering,add the sliced onions,green chillies and saute it with a pinch of salt for a minute.Add the mint leaves and half of the coriander leaves continue sauteing till the onion becomes transparent.

Add the ginger&garlic paste and saute it till the raw smell disappears.add the yogurt and saute it for a minute.Then goes in the chopped tomato and cook it until mushy.Add the mutton pieces and saute it till the color changes.

Add the spice powders,salt and give it a mix,add around 11/2-2 cups of water and close the lid and pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles in a medium flame.Once the pressure subsides remove the lid and drain the mutton stock.Meanwhile boil around 3 cups of plain water.

Add the soaked rice and saute it for a minute.Now add the measured mutton stock and hot water to make 4 cups of liquid (1:2 of rice and water).Add in lemon juice and the remaining ghee,coriander leaves.Cook it for 5 minutes then put the pressure cooker lid and cook it for a whistle.Then reduce the flame to low and cook it for 5 minutes,put off the flame.After the pressure subsides fluff it with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve it with raita and chicken or mutton curry.

Enjoy........................................................

• The amount of spices given is for a medium spicier version.
• Addition of ghee makes the biriyani more flavorful and rich so don't skip it.
• The amount of water depends on the quality of rice used,I used 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice
• If you are using basmathi rice,then use around 11/2-13/4 cups of water for a cup of rice .
• If the mutton doesn't cook after 4-5 whistles then cook it for another 2 whistles.
• For extra rich taste fried cashews can be added after the biriyani is done.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Green Peas Kheer/Matar Kheer

I end up the series of Blogging Marathon #41 with a sweet note and made a delicious kheer with green peas.Yes its green peas kheer,I saw this kheer in a T.V cooking competition and noted it.
I was bit hesitant to try this kheer how it tastes, so I made little quantity and the outcome is a super delicious,rich and creamy kheer.Both my kids enjoyed this exotic kheer,off to the recipe..................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 20-25 minutes
Serves 2 small serving

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Green peas/pachai pattani (fresh/frozen)	1/4 cup
Whole milk	11/2 cups
Sugar/sakkarai	3 tbs
Cashews/mundiri	10
Almonds/badam	3-4(sliced)
Cardamom powder/elakkai	a pinch
Ghee/nei	2 tsp
Saffron/kungumapoo	3-4 strands

Method

Soak the cashews in warm water for 10 minutes,boil the milk and simmer it for 5-7 minutes.Meanwhile cook the green peas in water for 5-6 minutes.
Drain the water and grind it along with the cashews in a blender to a fine paste.Add little milk if needed while grinding.

Heat a tsp of ghee and add the ground peas,saute it for a minute or two to remove the raw flavor of the green peas.

Add the milk and cook it for another couple of minutes.Add the sugar and cook it until it gets thicken or about 3-4 minutes.

Fry the sliced almonds in another tsp of ghee in a pan and add it to the mixture.Add the cardamom powder and saffron,put off the flame.

Serve it chilled.

Enjoy.....................................................

• Since I used the whole milk,I didn't use condensed milk.If you want to use you can use a tbs of condensed milk and reduce the sugar quantity to 2 tbs.
• Sliced almonds can also be ground and used to get a smooth kheer.

Check out my fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #41.
This recipe is off to  Cook Book Challenge #9 June week 4.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Matar Paneer Stuffed Paratha/Green peas and Paneer Stuffed Paratha

For the day 2 under the theme pick one and cook 3 days is green peas and paneer stuffed paratha.As my kiddo loves paneer and I added paneer along with green peas.I served this parathas with pickle and yogurt for our lunch along with some fresh cherries and buttermilk.The lunch was so filling and satisfied,lets move on to the recipe................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 10-12 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Makes 4-5

Ingredients

For the Paratha 

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat Flour/ gothumai maavu	11/2 cups
Oil	2 tsp
Salt	3/4t sp
Water	to knead

For the stuffing

Ingredient	Quantity
Green peas/pachai pattani(fresh/frozen)	3/4 cup
Paneer/cottage cheese	1 cup
Green chilly(finely chopped)	1
Aamchur powder	1 tsp
Cumin powder/jeerga podi	1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder	1/2tsp
Salt	1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2 tbs

Other Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat Flour or all purpose flour	as needed for dusting
Oil	1 tbs(to cook)

Method

Mix in wheat flour,salt and oil in a bowl,slowly add the water and knead into a stiff dough.Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the green peas with a pinch of salt in a pressure cooker or open pot,drain the water and grind it to a paste without any water.Keep it aside.
Take the grated paneer,ground peas paste,spice powders,salt and chopped coriander powder in a bowl.Mix it well and divide into equal parts,shape it to a round ball.

Now divide the dough into equal parts,take a portion of dough and flatten into 3' disc and keep one ball of stuffing and seal it.On a floured surface roll it into 6-7 inch paratha of desired thickness.

Cook it on a hot griddle both sides till golden color and spots appear,brush it with oil on both sides.

Serve it warm with yogurt and pickle.

Enjoy............................................................

Check out my fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #41.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Kerala Style Green Peas Curry

For the final week of Blogging Marthon#41,I chose to cook with pick one ingredient and cook for 3 days,the ingredient is green peas.
I will be showcasing the recipes with green peas for next few days.Today's recipe is a flavorful green peas curry with coconut milk.Here I used the soaked dried peas and it can be made with fresh green peas.
Try this authentic Kerala style green peas curry and serve it along with rotis and parotas.Here goes the recipe............................

Basic Information

Soaking time 6-8 hours
Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 3(generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Green peas/pattani(soaked)	11/2 cups
Onion(finely chopped)	1 (large size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	3 (medium size)
Ginger/inji	1/2 inch piece
Garlic /poondu	2 cloves
Ginger &Garlic paste	2 tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1 tsp
Corinader powder/dhaniya podi	2 tsp
Garam Masala powder	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1 tbs(chopped)
Thick coconut milk/thengai paal	1/2 cup
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Salt	11/2 tsp
Oil	3 tbs

Method

Pressure cook the green peas with a cup of water and a pinch of salt for a whistle in a medium flame.
Heat a tbs of oil in a pan and saute the onion,ginger and garlic till transparent,add the chopped tomatoes.Cook it till mushy,put off the flame and grind it to a fine paste after cool down completely.

Heat a pan with the remaining oil,crackle the cumin seeds and add the ginger&garlic paste for a minute.Then add in the finely ground paste and cook it till the oil separates.Add in chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and salt.Add 1/2 cup of water and cook it in a medium flame till the raw smell disappears.Add the cooked peas now and adjust the consistency with water if needed.Let it boil for another couple of minutes.

Sprinkle the garam masala powder and add the coconut milk,let it boil for another 3-4 minutes.Finally sprinkle the coriander leaves and put off the flame.

Serve it with roti or parathas.

Enjoy........................................

• If fresh green peas is used then cook it in an open pot with a pinch of salt,separately and add it.
• If you want more of garam masala flavor,the add 2 cloves and 1/2 piece of cinnamon along with cumin seeds for tempering.

Check out my fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #41.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Chettinadu Mutton Curry

Today being the 4th Tuesday I am sharing a finger licking,Chettinadu style mutton curry for Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday event.
This version of mutton curry,is yet simple and flavorful with the freshly ground spice paste.You can serve this mutton curry with rice as well as rotis and parotas.Since I served it with rice made it slightly in thicker side.Lets move on to the recipe.................................

Basic Information

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 40-50 minutes

Serves 3(generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Mutton(with bones)	1 lb(bite size pieces)
Onion(finely chopped)	2 (medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	2 (medium size)
Ginger &Garlic paste	1 tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1/4 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	2 sprig
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1 tbs(chopped)
Lemon juice(optional)	1-2 tsp
Salt	2 tsp
Oil	3 tbs

To roast and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Red chilly/varamilagai	4-5
Coriander seeds/dhaniya	1 tbs
Black pepper/milagu	1 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombhu	1 tsp

Grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	5 tbs
Poppy seeds/kaskasa	1 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombhu	1 tsp

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	4-5
Cinnamon/pattai	1 inch
Bay leaf	1
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombhu	1/4 tsp

Method

• Heat a pressure pan or cooker with a tbs of oil and add a tsp of ginger-garlic paste,fry it for a minute.Add in the curry leaves,mutton pieces and saute it till the mutton changes it color.Add the red chilly powder and turmeric powder,a tsp of salt,mix it well.Add around 11/2-2 cups of water and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles in a medium flame or till the mutton gets soft.

• Meanwhile heat a pan and dry roast the given ingredients till a nice aroma comes out.Grind it to a fine paste and set it aside.Also grind the coconut,fennel and poppy seeds to a fine paste along with little water separately,keep it aside.

• Heat a pan with remaining oil and do the tempering with the whole spices and saute the onion and curry leaves till transparent,add the ginger&garlic paste and fry it for a while.

• Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook it till mushy.Add the mutton stock and the ground masala paste,cook it for 4-5 minutes.

• Now add the mutton pieces and coconut paste,adjust the consistency with water,let it boil till the oil separates or it reaches the desired consistency.

• Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and put off the flame.Add the lemon juice if needed.

• Serve it with rice or parotta.

Enjoy............................................................

• The amount of spices given is for a medium spicier version.
• Original recipe calls for shallots but I used the regular onion,as shallots we get shallots rarely here.
• If there is no mutton stock left after cooking add around a cup of water as soon as pressure subsides.

This recipe is off to Tamaizhar Samayal Tuesday.

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